Vehicle



March 23, 1943. s. c. OLSON 2,314,419

VEHICLE Filed Jan. 13, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet l a 10mm (1 5. c. OLSON March 23, 1943.

VEHICLE Filed Jan. 13, i942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 23, 1943. s. c. OLSON VEHICLE Filed Jan. 13, 1942 s Sheets-Sheet s s 777: er a. 04 so,

Patented Mar. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT '()'-Fi i-E \LElI-ICILE .'Stan1ey..C. Olson, La .Crosse, Wis. Application'ilanuary 13, 1942,rSeria'l"No.-426;621

.8 Claims.

The invention'relates toveh icl'es, and especially to vehicle bodies capable of various uses.

The primary objectof the invention is'to provide a'vehicle capable of useeither as anambulance or as'a policexpatrol car for carryingpris oners.

Anotherobject of the invention isto provide a vehicle of this type which can be quickly and easily converted from one type of use to the other withoutthe removal or replacement of any parts.

-Afurther purpose of the-"invention is to provide a set of parts which "can be inserted in: an ordinary vehicle, 'suchas a delivery "truckfto convert it to use for either of thetwo purposes.

Stilt another objectof the" invention is toutilize. 'in'a device of this'type, a'wheeled stretcher both asa stretcher, as a se'at for a prisoner s 'compartment, "and as "a 'means "to block the escape P of a personfrom suchcompartment.

An additional object of the inventionis to-provide a construction of this type which permits access to an intermediate compartment both "from the 'driVer s compartment in the frontand-from an equipment compartmentdn' the rear to anintermediate compartment, wlhile allowing suchac- -cess from within the intermediate compartment to beefiectively prevented.

.Still a further objectof'theiinvention isfto provide a novel locking mechanism i for "the doors of an arrangement of this type.

.Further objects andadvanta'ges of the invention will be seen'from the .following description 'whenttaken in :conjunctionwithrthe accompanying drawings-which form azpart thereof.

In'the drawings Fig. .lzis a'perspe'ctive'viewiof. a vehicleembodying my invention, with parts broken away;

Fig. '2' is a" horizontal 'cross' section on the iline 2--2:of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 isa vertical cross section on'i.the:;line::3:3 of Fig.2;

Figs. =4tand'5 "are an elevation and atop 'plan view, respectively, iof'the doortmounting; and

frontifl'oor.havingarearward extension I8 behind "form -a permanent part of the structure.

can 'be secured at their bottom ends to the floor portion I6 centrally of the truck by flanges 2E, and which are connected at their top ends by a bar 28Which can be secured to the top of the truck by bolts 3|]. A fixed Wall'or'panel 32 extends fromthe front post 24 behind the drivers seat l2 to the left-hand side wall and is secured thereto at 34. This panel may-be of heavy mesh wire or the like and need extend down only just below thetop of'the drivers seat. A fixed panel 36 exten'ds'from the rear post 25 to the right-hand wall and is secured thereto'at 38. This panel eX- tends'fromthe floor to the top and may be formed in part of heavy wire mesh.

These two panelsde'fine in the truck body a front'd'riverscompartment 49, an intermediate prisoners compartment iland a rear equipment compartment-1'4.

Each-of posts 24. 25 carries two or more rotatable'sleeves 16. 'From these sleeves project radial *pins lt. Front-and rear doors 5!), 52 have sockets 'whichengage slidably on these pins, so that the doors can -move radially towards or from the posts. These doors extend from the posts to the rightand left 'han'd walls, respectively. Running vertically along each wall is a U-shaped frame 54 adapted to receive the edge of a door.

j The front 'door 50 is located behind the passen- "gers seat 20,'and need only extend down a little "below the top'of this seat.

terminatesat'some distance above the floor, this distancebeing just sufficient to permit a 10W wheeled stretcher '56 to extend beneath it from compartment 44 into compartment 42. Both The rear door'52 also doors may be formed at least in part of heavy wire mesh.

"The doors 5'9, 52: are 1 locked by the mechanism shown in detail in 'FlgS.'4 to -6. Thisincludes a t'ogscletmechanism formed of links 58, pivoted Totthe :pivots: 52 are turnable by a handle 58. A hook is provided for holding the rear door 52 in open position when desired.

This locking mechanism operates as follows: When the door is not locked, the handle 68 is in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, in which the toggle is broken, so that the door is drawn inwardly towards the post. When the door is to be locked, it is brought opposite the channel 54 and the disc 66 is turned to straighten the toggles. This causes the door to slide outwardly on the pins until its outer edge engages in the channel and is held thereby so that opening of the door is prevented.

A seat 12 may be provided in the compartment 42 to provide further seating space therein.

When the vehicle is to be used as a patrol wagon, the doors 50 and 52 are both locked in closed position. One or more prisoners or guards can then occupy th intermediate compartment, their escape being prevented by the passenger's seat at. the front and by the stretcher 56 beneath the rear door.- The stretcher cannot be pushed out of the way since the rear doors 8 of the truck are closed and hold it in position. Thus, although the bottom of the door 52 is spaced from the floor, the stretcher blocks this space.

When the vehicle is to be used as an ambulance. the rear door 52 is held open by the hook it. It is now possible for the stretcher to carry a patient, and a doctor or a nurse may occupy the seat l2. The stretcher may be removed by opening the back doors 8 of the truck.

While I have described the invention as applied to a panel truck, it is apparent that it can beapplied to other types of vehicles, especially to those which have one or more doors or other closures through which a stretcher can be removed from the vehicle.

While I hav described herein one embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to limit myself thereby, except within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle body having side and top walls, means dividing said vehicle into a front drivers compartment, an intermediate compartment and a rear compartment, said means including at least on door between the intermediate compartment and the rear compartment to permit access therebetween, said door terminating at a distance above the floor sufficient to permit a stretcher to be inserted therebeneath.

2. In a vehicle body having side and top walls, means dividing said vehicle into a front drivers compartment, an intermediate compartment and a rear compartment, said means including at least one door between the intermediate compartment and the rear compartment to permit access therebetween, at least one opening into said rear compartment from the exterior of the vehicle, a closure for said opening, said door being of insufficient dimensions to preventpassage between the intermediate and rear compartments.

3. In a vehicle body having side and top walls, means dividing said vehicle into a front drivers compartment, an intermediate compartment and a rear compartment, said means including at least one door between the intermediate combeing of insuificient dimensions to prevent passage between the intermediate and rear compartments, and a stretcher insertable through the space not closed by said door and held in position by said closure.

4. In a vehicle body having side and top walls, means dividing said vehicle into a front drivers compartment, an intermediate compartment and a rear compartment, said means including at leastone door between the intermediate compartment and the rear compartment to permit access therebetween, said door terminating at a distance above the floor suificient to permit a stretcher to be inserted therebeneath, and a door between said front and intermediate compartments to permit access therebetween.

5. In a vehicle body having side and top walls, means dividing said vehicle into a front drivers compartment, an intermediate compartment and a rear compartment, said means including a post secured at an intermediate point of the vehicle, between the intermediate and rear compartments, means extending from said post to one side wall for preventing access between the compartments, a door mounted for movement to a position extending between the post and the other side wall, said door terminating at a distance above the floor sufficient to permit a stretcher to be inserted therebeneath.

6. In a vehicle body having side and top walls, means dividing said vehicle into a front drivers compartment, an intermediate compartment and a rear compartment, said means including a post secured at an intermediate point of the vehicle, between the intermediate and rear compartments, means extending from said post to one side wall for preventing access between the compartments, a door mounted for movement to a position extending -between the post and the other side wall, said door terminating at a 'distance above the floor sufiicient to permit a stretcher to be inserted therebeneath, and means accessible from the rear compartment only to lock the door in such position.

7. In a vehicle body having top and side walls and at least one opening at the rear with a closure therefor, means dividing said vehicle into a front drivers compartment, an intermediate compartment and a rear compartment, said means including at least one door between the intermediate compartment and the rear oompartment to permit access therebetween, said door terminating at a distance above the floor suflicient to permit a stretcher to be inserted through said opening and beneath said door to extend partially into the intermediate compartment.

8. In a vehicle body having top and'side walls and at least one opening at the rear with a closure therefor, means dividing said vehicle into a front drivers compartment, an intermediate compartment and a rear compartment, said means including a post secured at an intermediate point of the vehicle, between the intermediate and rear compartments, means extending'from said post to one side wall forpreventing access between the compartments, adOormounted for movement to a position extending between the post and the other side wall, said door terminating at a distance above the floor suflicient to permit a stretcher to be inserted through said opening and beneath said door to extend partially into the intermediate compartment.-

STANLEY C. OLSON. 

